Bangladesh Police Seek Ferry Owner, Captain
Authorities in Bangladesh investigating the sinking of a ferry with nearly 250 people on board have lodged murder charges against the owner and five others, including the captain, taking an unprecedented step in a country where such disasters are all too common. The ferry, the MV Pinak-6, went down on Monday in a river swelled by monsoon rains about 30 km (18 miles) southwest of the capital, Dhaka, on Monday. By early Wednesday, rescuers battling strong currents and choppy waves on the Padma river had given up hope of finding alive many of the 133 people still missing, officials in Munshiganj district said. There were 110 survivors, and seven bodies had been found.
Bangladesh Rescuers Struggle in Ferry Response; 120 Missing
Bangladeshi rescuers struggled against a strong current and choppy river waters on Tuesday in the search for a ferry that capsized with more than 200 passengers on board with about 120 of them missing, many feared dead. Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, has an appalling record of ferry accidents, with casualties sometimes running into the hundreds. Overcrowding is a common feature of many of the accidents, and each time the government vows to toughen regulations. The ferry that sank on Monday, the MV Pinak-6, had a capacity to carry 85 passengers, according to the inland transport authority. It went over and sank in the Padma river about 30 km (18 miles) southwest of the capital, Dhaka.
Bangladesh Ferry Capsizes, 100 Missing
A ferry with about 200 passengers on board capsized in Bangladesh on Monday in a river southwest of the capital, Dhaka, and about 100 people were unaccounted for, the chief of the district administration said. Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, has an appalling record of ferry accidents, with casualties sometimes running into the hundreds. Overcrowding is a common factor in many of the accidents and each time there is an accident the government vows to toughen regulations. Mohammad Saiful Hasan Badal, deputy commissioner of Munshiganj district, said about 100 passengers had been rescued from the vessel after it went down in the Padma river.
